Left: A loaded gun rests on Sarah's dresser next to a large stuffed dog. Sarah says she has an aversion to guns but since her alleged rape she has acquired two. Right: (Note: portions of this photo have been digitally altered to protect Sarah's identity). Sarah currently has prescriptions for sleeping pills and anti-depression medications.

A frayed screen from one of Sarah's windows still lays in her yard after she says someone discarded it during one of at least five break-ins or attempted break-ins she claims have happened since her attack.

Few adult rape cases heard in Natrona County courtrooms

A loaded gun rests on Sarah’s dresser next to a large stuffed dog. Sarah says she has an aversion to guns but since her rape she has acquired two.

Leah Millis

Left: A loaded gun rests on Sarah's dresser next to a large stuffed dog. Sarah says she has an aversion to guns but since her alleged rape she has acquired two. Right: (Note: portions of this photo have been digitally altered to protect Sarah's identity). Sarah currently has prescriptions for sleeping pills and anti-depression medications.

Leah Millis

Night terrors

Sarah has suffered from insomnia and nightmares since the alleged attack.

She says she has grisly nightmares about her cats being viciously disemboweled and torn into bloody pieces.

Leah Millis

Self-defense

Sarah has installed security cameras outside her house

and bought a couple pistols for protection.

Leah Millis

Insecurity

A frayed screen from one of Sarah’s windows lies in her yard after she says someone discarded it during one of at least

five break-ins or attempted break-ins she claims have happened since her attack. Sarah says she rarely used

her home security system before the alleged rape. Now she uses it every night.

Leah Millis

Sarah has acquired two guns since the alleged attack, which she keeps loaded and near her bedside at all times.

Leah Millis

A frayed screen from one of Sarah's windows still lays in her yard after she says someone discarded it during one of at least five break-ins or attempted break-ins she claims have happened since her attack.

Leah Millis

Sarah has installed security cameras outside of her house for added protection.

Leah Millis

Sarah has prescriptions for sleeping pills and anti-depression medicine. This photo has been digitally altered to protect Sarah’s identity.

Leah Millis

Sarah has suffered from insomnia and nightmares since the attack.

Leah Millis

She says she has grisly nightmares about her cats being viciously disemboweled and torn into bloody pieces.

Leah Millis

She has acquired two guns since the attack, which she keeps loaded and near her bedside at all times.

Leah Millis

Sarah says she rarely used her home security system before the rape. Now she uses it every night.

Months after she reported the crime, Sarah spotted him in the Big Lots parking lot. She later passed him while they were both driving down Second Street. He waved at her through his sunroof. She felt sick.

Sarah knows the man’s name, criminal history, type of vehicle and where he lives. So do Casper police and Natrona County prosecutors. But in December, three months after her alleged rape, the Natrona County District Attorney’s Office told Sarah the man would not be charged.

Her situation is not unique. In Natrona County, fewer than one in 13 reported sexual assaults of an adult victim in the past five years have resulted in an arrest, and far fewer resulted in prosecution. Because of the way court records are maintained in Wyoming, no one is sure how many perpetrators are convicted.

Sarah is now a byproduct of these statistics. Unlike many victims, who police say fold under the weight of the investigation, Sarah wanted her day in court.

Sarah is the single mother of a teenage son, has a master’s degree and a lucrative, rewarding career. (She is not actually named Sarah.) The Star-Tribune does not publish the names of victims of sexual assaults. Sarah contacted the newspaper, demanding to know why a man in Casper could rape a woman without accountability. She wanted the paper, or anyone, to do something.

This wasn’t supposed to happen to her. The mid-sized suburban house she and her son live in is funded solely by the fruits of her labor. Her walls are adorned with black-and-white photos of wild animals, and five cats and dogs roam in and out of the house. The cats’ jungle gym is the most prominent fixture in the living room.

Sarah’s life centers on her son, who became her therapist and guardian after the alleged attack. He tended to her on the nights she woke up screaming. He joined her creeping in the middle of the night, both armed with various household weapons, when she swore she heard someone in the house.

Their cozy home has since become littered with the trappings of paranoia. A loaded gun rests in plain view next to a floppy stuffed dog on Sarah’s dresser. Another is in her lingerie drawer. Crowbars, knives and baseball bats have been strategically placed in her bedroom. She knows someone has tried to break into her home at least five times since the alleged attack.

A doctor prescribed Sarah medications to deal with her depression and distressed sleep.

“Looking back I wonder if death may have been easier than to carry this filth, this pain, the smells, the images, the fear out of that attack and rape that came with me,” she wrote to prosecutors.

* * *

The police investigation lasted two months.

“I think one of the hardest things is a victim will come forward, and feel that they have taken a great leap of faith,” Casper Police Sgt. Deahn Amend said. “It is a slow process. It is waning, physically and mentally, on a victim. I’m not giving you any good news here, but that seems to be where we start to lose people.”

Sarah stuck with the investigation, though, and the Casper Police Department referred her case to the district attorney’s office on Nov. 11. Already impatient, Sarah trained her efforts on prosecutors, calling “about 300 times.”

Her already petite frame withered to less than 100 pounds and she took to writing letters to the DA’s office when she couldn’t sleep. “Never be bullied into silence” and “Last contact with idiots” were among the names of the documents.

The letters were emotionally charged with bolded, caps-locked and underlined passages.

“It is now 2:30 am, now I will spend an hour asking myself ‘Why me?’ ‘Why anybody,’” she wrote in one. “The main feeling, being helpless re-occurs everyday CAUSE NOONE WILL HELP ME.”

* * *

Sarah’s most pressing concerns before the alleged rape were tiffs with her boyfriend. One year ago, Sarah cleared her head by meeting with her girlfriend and having a few drinks at an Evansville bar.

Sarah and her boyfriend decided earlier in the evening to spend some time apart and the argument was still on her mind — a fact Sarah credits as the catalyst for the bad decisions she made later that night.

She ran into a close friend of her boyfriend. The two men had been roommates and her boyfriend had a key to the man’s apartment. Sarah gave him her number.

The man told Sarah he had information on her boyfriend. If she came to his place, he’d tell her all about it.

Sarah climbed into his SUV after the bars closed and rode to his apartment, where he promised to disclose her boyfriend’s infidelities.

The two entered his tiny apartment and sat on the bed.

“It sounds bad, but there was nowhere else to sit,” she said.

After some conversation about her boyfriend, she said, the man’s eyes turned black.

He said he was sick of talking about her boyfriend. She said the man attacked her, ripping off her clothes and pinning her ankles to the bed, his grip squeezing her bones.

Sarah struggled in vain for a few minutes before devising a plan of escape. She told the man she had to use the bathroom and would pee all over him if he didn’t let her go. The man hesitated but let go, shadowing her short journey to the bathroom.

Sarah slammed the door in his face but was horrified when she looked down at the doorknob. There was no lock.

“What kind of a bathroom doesn’t have a lock on the door?” she said. It became obvious she didn’t have to pee.

Sarah said her failed escape attempt further enraged the man. He drug her back to the bed and asked if she needed to be reminded of what he did to the other women. He almost killed them, he said. He suggested she stop fighting.

She did. She thought about her son being told that his mother’s body had been found, if there even was a body found. Sarah didn’t know how long the rape lasted; she had shut herself off. She described an out-of-body experience, where her mind refused to process what was happening.

She was instead transported back to her son. She saw him as a child, in a stroller, saw his first smile and heard his first word. Then he was gone again and she was left back in the dark room.

“I lost the battle,” she wrote in a letter three months later to the Casper Police Department. “In every way.”

Sarah said the man cried after he finished. He told her he would go to prison for life because of previous convictions if she reported this. He begged her not to. Still scared for her life, Sarah said she assured him that she would keep the incident to herself.

The man dropped her off at her car in the parking lot where they originally met. Sarah called the police after he drove away, went to the hospital to get a rape kit and waited for his arrest.

* * *

Sarah amassed a small band of supporters in hopes of galvanizing some legal action. Local politicians, police officers, attorneys and crisis center advocates all promised to put in good words for her, she said.

Sarah’s friend secured a meeting with Casper City Manager John Patterson.

“I thought she was very credible,” Patterson said, noting that he made a call to Police Chief Chris Walsh on her behalf.

Patterson said the alleged attacker’s criminal record enhanced Sarah’s credibility.

A Natrona County background check catalogs 16 different criminal and civil cases that Sarah’s alleged attacker has been involved in since 2007. He’s a defendant in 11 of them. The cases include accusations of a simple assault, violation of a protection order, unlawful contact and driving under the influence. Sarah gave the man’s name to the Star-Tribune, but the paper will not publish it since he has not been charged with a crime in Sarah’s case.

Sarah’s attorney, Tom Sutherland, dug deeper and located one instance of an “other” woman the man was likely referring to during the attack.

He was convicted of attempted murder more than 20 years ago, and his sentence expired in 2011.

“She also wanted to ensure that this would not happen to another woman by this perpetrator,” Patterson said. “I respected her passion … she was just as passionate about this as she was about her own justice. This helped me to advocate for her.”

* * *

Sarah’s case is typical in many ways, officials say. She was intoxicated. She knew her alleged attacker. The alleged attacker claimed the sex was consensual.

“We always come back to the same thing, [look for] the same evidence for each case,” Amend, of the Casper Police Department, said of sexual assault cases. “ … To be able to corroborate what the victim is telling us, to be able to take facts to the DA’s office so we can push through and get charges accordingly.”

Amend said the biggest hurdle in undertaking adult sexual assault cases lies in the victim: How are they processing the situation? Are they strong enough to come forward? Are they at a point in their lives where they feel like they can even talk about the crime?

The cases can die at any point along the course of the investigation and prosecution, Amend said.

The Casper Police Department received 573 reports of sexual offenses committed by an adult on an adult between 2008 and 2012, an average of about 114 per year, according to a report prepared for the Star-Tribune. This does not include the reports that involved an underage victim, prostitution or incest. Many of these cases were determined to be unfounded after a police investigation.

There were 43 sexual assault arrests made in all of Natrona County in that same period, or about nine per year, according to a report from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office.

Just two adult sexual assault cases were referred to the Natrona County District Attorney’s Office by any law enforcement department between July 2011 and June 2012, according to District Attorney Michael Blonigen. Twelve were referred between July 2010 and June 2011. It is the prosecutor’s decision in the end whether to file charges.

Because of the various ways cases are filed and tracked in Wyoming, no one at the district attorney’s office or Wyoming courts — Natrona County District and state Supreme — is able to produce the number of cases that resulted in convictions.

Unlike cases involving underage victims, which produce a steady flow of offenders in Natrona County courts, Blonigen said adult sexual assaults are notoriously difficult to prosecute in Wyoming and around the country.

Blonigen said any defense attorney could easily chisel away at Sarah’s story. For instance, why was her boyfriend yelling at her during the original police call? How could she not know the alleged rapist was dangerous when the reason he and her boyfriend knew each other was through prison? And, like many victims of sexual assault, Sarah was intoxicated.

“I can tell you that we don’t get as many [referrals] as we used to,” Blonigen said. “We’re supposed to have these greatly evolved feelings, in the way of victim blaming … It’s almost as if we haven’t progressed at all, but we’ve gone backwards.”

He said juries — especially female jurors — are critical of women who claim they are victims of sexual assault.

Additionally, DNA evidence does not refute a man’s claim that sex was consensual.

“Usually they’re not whodunits; we have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” Blonigen said. “You can’t just think things. You’ve got to be able to prove things.”

This is especially difficult in Wyoming, he said. Like many other states, law requires the offender to have used actual, physical force during the rape. It’s not enough for the victim to just say, “No.”

Sarah’s alleged attacker told investigators the sex was consensual. They were groping and kissing each other for a while, and he stopped having sex with her when she started crying, he is quoted as telling officers.

Casper police say DNA evidence from Sarah’s rape kit wouldn’t do any good because both she and the man confirm that sex took place. Lt. Michael Thompson said the DNA would only be tested if prosecutors were preparing the case for trial.

Lt. Thompson said the rape kit was tested in Sarah’s case, but just confirmed that they had sex.

Sarah said she was repeatedly told attorneys were ethically bound to not prosecute cases they weren’t sure they could win.

They were sorry, the assistant prosecutor said. But there was nothing else they could do.

* * *

Gloria Jensen is a crisis advocate at Casper’s Self Help Center. She said a victim’s alleged attacker very rarely enters a courtroom, because the victim often puts the brakes on the case.

“Most women don’t want to see their abuser again, whether it’s in court or on the street,” she said. “One of the hardest things for them to do is to have to revisit or rehash the details of the crime.”

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network President and Founder Scott Berkowitz said despite the barriers and trauma victims will inevitably encounter after their attack, RAINN still encourages them to report the crime.

“That’s the only way there’s going to be pressure built to prosecute these types of cases,” he said. “The more victims that aren’t getting justice, the more attention it’s going to get from policymakers and media to force a change.”

Sarah’s only remaining option is to press civil charges against the man, a decision which also seems useless. He has no money and no assets, Sutherland, her attorney, said.

Sarah was angry enough on one occasion to return back to her alleged rapist’s apartment and confront him. He didn’t answer the door at that point, but later accused her and her boyfriend of threatening him.

In the past several months, Sarah’s anger has given way to despair. Many of her previous supporters now refuse to return her phone calls. She has told the story more times than she can remember.

The fight for justice is over. Sarah says she’s done writing letters and calling authorities. Most of the time, she gets no response anyway. But despite the mistakes she made, Sarah maintains that there was more than enough evidence to prosecute the case if everyone had been on board from the beginning.

Sarah’s currently studying to get licensed for her job in another state. She plans to leave Wyoming as soon as possible.

Sarah now says she would have simply refrained from reporting the assault in the first place.

Where are the rape statistics?

Country-wide statistics from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network say that only 46 percent of rapes get reported in the first place.

Of these, about 9 percent end up being prosecuted, 5 percent lead to a felony conviction and 3 percent of the rapists will spend even a single day in prison.

But comparing data across jurisdictions is unreliable for a number of reasons. National-level statistics, such as those from RAINN, combine both adult and juvenile victims.

“We absolutely see prosecution rates a lot lower than they ought to be,” RAINN President and Founder Scott Berkowitz said. “There is sometimes a reluctance to pursue cases that are going to be hard to win. … It’s not universal, but it’s definitely a problem.”

Local data is available in the FBI’s uniform crime report, but it only tracks the number of “forcible rape” reports for each jurisdiction in Wyoming, defined by the “carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will,” and does not include other forms of sexual assault. The 2011 report, for example, only states that six were reported in Natrona County and 10 in Casper.

This number may not be entirely representative. Sarah’s case, for instance, was labeled a “sex offense” on the Casper Police Department log, rather than the other coding options of “sex offense forcible rape” or “rape.”

Casper Police Lt. Mike Thompson said the department is currently working to make its coding process more uniform.

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(49) comments

Ok I don't know anything about this and I'm usually the first to jump on the defense side because let's face it girls now days scream rape as soon as an "affair" happens.. This girl did not do thay as soonas she was away from she dials 911...

Ive been in a similar situation where the anxiety of a partners infidelity has been questioned and raced to somewhere where the answers r going to be given.

Now the flip side...

R legal system although not perfect has delt with millions of rape cases. And I last time I checked the DA is wrong it is rape the minuet a woman says stop or no and a man doesn't that word has sent countless men to prison. But I also believe the DA is right it's their job to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Sarah isn't just claiming she was raped. But it's not their job to decide rather he's guilty or not. If a vase is reported to the police and the police investigate it and there is evidence even circumstantial it's also the job of the DA to prosecute it's our job the community his and sSarah's peers to decide if he's guilty. So explain to me someone why hasn't both parties had their day in court?

But yet a man who thought he was suppose to rape a woman based off of emails and Txt messages is in prison for rape? Don't get me wrong the Craigslist rape was a rape and she is a victim but if they r claiming sarah was a willing participate in S and m wouldn't that be true for the Craigslist rapist?

There is so much more to this story on both sides that we the public are obviously not informed of..

i have a teenage daughter and if sarah has a father i hope he does not have to read through this nonsense. i do not care what my daughter does, she has made mistakes before, and will again, but if some man holds her down and rapes her, and the system questions her mistakes and does not remove him from the streets, there will be another crime for them to deal with. no flag of outrage, but he will recieve a consequence. if this man hurts another woman... she better not have me for a dad.

If my sister was out drinking until 2:00 am , it would be unusual . If she was drunk , and was in a strange house , in a strange mans bed room it would be unusual . If she was drunk at 2:00 am , in a strange bedroom doing an infidelity investigation , I would be flabbergasted . I would have a hard time with her story . If she were truly interested in her boyfriends affairs , why did she not hold this meeting at an all night restaurant ? Just too many holes in this case . She was in his bedroom after hours and hours of alcohol consumption ? I am not saying the rape never happened , it just sounds a little fishy under the circumstances .

studio apartments only have a bedroom dummy. and it wasnt a "strange man". she knew him and was her boyfriends bestfriend. can you still not read? and i myself have gone to many male friends houses, at many times, not expecting them to rape me. and it is not the womens responsibility to not get raped, its a mans to control himself. whether she wanted to talk all night or play xbox, she didnt deserve to be raped. if one of my guys friends wants to come over after a night out, i dont assume oh i get to sleep with him. maybe he wants totalk about what happened with his gf and if im "best friends" id have insight. rape cases always have holes. im very glad you sister has not been victimized, because i do think you might be a little more sympathetic.

All this one sided garbage with out one ounce of proof . Where is Sutherland ? Why no discovery in his office ? He also thinks he could not win a case . He says a civil suit is not worth his time ? He could garnish this mans checks and tax returns . If he truly felt bad , he could have filed suit . What a blithering phony lawyer . He is after the spotlight with out having to put up a case . Excuses . Anyone ready to discuss Andrew Johnson's case out of cheyenne ? His accuser had a lot in common with Sarah . Her boyfriend is still with her ? He must have also conceded that evidence was slim as Sarah went home with the alleged rapist . If I suspected that my significant other was raped , the suspect would not be out waving , and having good times . We would hold court in the street . Not once has anyone mentioned Sarah , and how she was a débutante , and why the DA declined to prosecute . What was the alleged rapists story ?

il address you first. since your the biggest source of ignorance. u want details and u want to know about sarah. and first of all i hope this ends your babble. its nonsense. your defensive and need to shutup. you attack a man who knows way more than you. why he doesnt file a civil suit? the victim does not want his money you jerk. she wants justice. she could easily file a civil suit. relive her story for a few bucks she doesn't need? it seems to three people who spoke up against rape publicly: sarah (with her story), the reporter (by writing it) and sutherland (for defending her) you attack with ZERO knowledge of anything. The DA PROSECUTES NO CASES so quit going back to that excuse as her being a liar. if thats the case, NO rapes in his area are truthful. sarah is now a debutante? shes a small town girl who grew up in wyoming and made it her home. now because of people like you, and the slime that attacked her, she is gone. you want to know his story? he tried to kill a woman and spent time for attempted murder. he then beat a woman half to death (the police stopped him), he then pretended to be a friend to sarah, no reason to think hed rape her...but he did. then if you research his crimes, he continued to victimize women. still no prosecution. sarahs story... she wishes shed never asked the police for help. she wishes she never stood her ground and tried to see the right thing done. her character has been attacked since day 1. and frankly as a person who has seen it unfold, i am tired of it. she didnt have sex with other people outside her relationship, theres no hidden police evidence. its his word against hers. and hers holds weight. let a jury see "these facts" you talk about. demand your DA make her proven to be a liar by a jury if your so hung up on needing answers. its insane that you are so quick to think sarah, a lawyer, and a newspaper would make this up. or sit back and watch as he rapes, kills, beats, your sister, mother, friend... and youl be sickened by this garbage.

now im publishing names from a phonebook? you are truly crazy. all i want is future victims to get fair treatment. and it wont be because of me they dont. look in the mirror. you are mean vindictive and cruel.

Explain what injuries Mr Sutherland? I find it more that a little suspicious the story in the trib made absolutely NO mention of injury to "sarah". It would seem to me that is a very important piece of information being left out of the conversation.

Maybe you misinformed nuisance it was to protect her anonimity???? The article does indicate she fought. Do ya think she was doing kart wheels the next day? You think Mr Sutherland hallucinated these injuries? And let's argue your side, she has none. You think a large male can't hold down a petite woman??? It happens to one in four women. And this one had an injured hand... DUH RENE. This man spent how many years in prison, I have no doubt he knew something about how to fight and violence, judging by the article she had NO idea. For you to seriously think this is a conspiracy, you need psychological help. Asap. And no ones prejudging him, do you not even listen, or read??? She deserves to face her rapist in court. Let the jury decide. And yeah sorry if I do not feel to sorry for a man who attempted to MURDER another woman before sara. II'll save the sympathy for you rene.

" Unless you were in the room you can't make any claims as to who may or may not be a victim."

"Because all your clearly trying to do is defend rapists (like yourself), defend the justice system who lets victims down, or a nobody who gets his or her thrills spreading hate and discontent."

"Until you can explain your plainly obvious malice toward Sarah, you are the rapist, or someone that the rapist knows.

You hypocritical feminazi''s accuse me of prejudging "sarah" and when I don't follow in lockstep you comically accuse me of either being a bitter woman, the alleged rapist himself, a member of his family or a friend. You blatantly state I have privileged knowledge of the matter although everything I have written or commented on originates from the story or the comments. It is interesting you have no problems prejudging the male in this story and have already convicted him in you delusional mindset. Oh and for the record, I am not the male in this story, nor am I in any way connected to anyone remotely involved.

This matter was investigated despite the howling of the shrews. The District Attorney determined there was not enough evidence to proceed at that time. If the DA tried this case with the information given an acquittal was a virtual certainty. If the alleged rapist is in fact guilty that means no more bites at the apple. There is no statute of limitations for criminal offenses in Wyoming and it would be more than advisable for the DA to let the facts of the case determine his actions rather than shrieking feminazi's and clueless politicians (The Brawley and Magnum cases are exhibits A and B of what happens when a DA bows to that kind knee jerk reaction).

The shriekers even go as far as to reference child abuse, which has absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand. This shows the they will sink to any depths to feel justified in their "crusade". Some people simply live to be outraged

is there not anyone monitoring these comments from the paper. there are clear rules stated and i believe "rene" has violated everyone of them and singlehandedly offended every victim out there, as well as one who was brave enough to share her story. i refuse to give any more time to her stupidity. its obvious to everyone, something needs to change, so instead of all this senseless arguing, how do we do it. you printed the article...what next? when do people have to answer the though questions? theres all these plans for DUI's and suicide prevention..etc. what about victims of sex crimes, whether it is a child or an adult???? do you know how many men rape their child/stepchild and if they simply agree to sign their rights away the case gets closed. so he can violate others. it has to stop. there will be many more sarah's, and my concern is, is this article is going to make less report and make her feel worse than all this trauma already has. we get to pick her story apart, when there's a few things such as (omg her boyfriend was mad, or omg she drank), but yet we dont pick this multiple time criminal apart??? no cause people like rene keep us stuck blaming the victim.

Even with the knowledge of confirmed liars like Tawanda Brawley and Cristal Gayle Magnum all it takes for Idraha to go on the attack is an accusation.

Psychologically unstable? All it took was a few words of common sense to have you come unhinged. It is also vomit inducing for you to attempt to insinuate I am either the "rapist", a friend or a past "victim". What I am Idraha, unlike yourself is a person with an IQ above room temperature and at least some impulse control.

rene, what would allow Sarah to be a victim? Would she have to found with her attacker, her rapist, still sexually assaulting her? Do you have some concrete knowledge that Sarah is a confirmed liar, or are you just some insensitive person without a heart?

I am not on the attack. I am, however, someone that believes that sexual crimes should be investigated in the name of justice. Do you have any idea how hurtful your cold, callous comments are to a woman that has been raped? If she decides after reading your post that there would be no benefit to reporting it, since people like you are unwilling to consider the fact that the accusation might be true?

What will you say to the next woman that he rapes? You question the fact that other women have also reported things that this man has done.

Lets observe, in reneland, there is no possibility that Sarah could be telling the truth, since other people lied. You say that she might be telling the truth, but you blow your partiality when you say that she could be lying through her teeth.

You absolutely refuse to think that Sarah may have been traumatized. That kind of cold blooded, uncaring attitude leaves you looking like the tin man. You have no heart. That is sad.

Until you can explain your plainly obvious malice toward Sarah, you are the rapist, or someone that the rapist knows. There is no other logical explanation for your reptilian like cold attitude toward your fellow man, or in this case, woman.

exactly... do we as victims have to make sure to videotape any traumatic experience to be allowed a hope for justice? when the evidence doesn't provide a "perfect case", we rely on a jury. thats what my definition of justice in this case would be.

Rene, you are making us all victims with your nonsensical rhetoric. Unless you were in the room you can't make any claims as to who may or may not be a victim. You are spouting off as if you were directly involved, if that is the case you are poorly informed or already biased. My guess is you simply enjoy the attention, even at the cost of others feelings.

you continuing to bring up those 2 examples shows the small stature of your intellectual capabilities. TWO examples of false accusers out of the millions raped is stupid. clearly this women had nothing to gain by falsely accusing anyone. she got nothing civilly. she got nothing legally. she got no fame, as she didnt use her name. shes lost more than she could possibly gain, as do so many victims. you, on the other hand are probably the rapist's family member or friend, or himself who has nothing better to do. defending a man who even possibly did this shows your ignorance. your disrespectful comments show you have know real knowledge or compassion. share with us YOUR real name and credentials. Because all your clearly trying to do is defend rapists (like yourself), defend the justice system who lets victims down, or a nobody who gets his or her thrills spreading hate and discontent. so which is it "rene". i think you are the liar. your comments are staged. so why dont YOU prove YOURSELF

i must admit i went back and read this article again. its brought back memories for me and i have to say i am angry. i want blonigan to answer 2 questions. he said we were moving backwards....well as the DA of Casper, what is your plan to move us forward, he took no responsibility nor did he express a desire to make it better. He also made reference to female jurors being more critical of sexual assault victims. i have never heard this before. is this a research based statement or a hunch? it doesnt sound like hes prosecuted enough to even make a determination as to what the problems are. atleast if men know the DA will go after them, it might deter them. if they know thats his belief, "wont win so why try", whats to deter men??? im troubled by this. im so glad someone brought this subject to our attention but is sarah right? does it matter? i hope you keep this subject alive

After reading this article, I want to share my story. Some of these comments make me so mad. If someone's house is robbed the cops do not care if it was messy, or if the victims have personal problems. RAPE IS A CRIME. Or am I wrong? My rape occurred in a different city but the emotional toll after the attack about killed me. I admit my college days were "crazy" to say the least. No expense left out if it meant having a good time. I went to a party one night, (yes after a fight with my boyfriend at the time). I drank way too much, smoked some pot and even gave a couple lap dances. Am I proud of it? No way. Did I deserve what came next? No. I had to sleep there, due to my intoxication. I woke up to 3 men from the party pulling off my shorts. i immediately began to tell them to stop. they made comments such as "you were not so shy earlier *****". I fought as hard as I could but one on three is not good odds. I was raped by all Three men. They told me if I told there would be one less college student. I wish I had stood up, because there was one less college student anyway. I dropped out. I got called the worst names because these three told everyone after the party I gave them a private party. Noone one thought badly of them. Some of these comments make me so very sad. Some of the same reasons Sarah did not get her case prosecuted are the same reasons I did not tell. "How will it look" "what will people say" "I had so much to drink" my own boyfriend would not even talk to me. I now know, my actions, although not well thought out, were not illegal, nor did it hurt anyone. Those three men's actions were illegal and ruined my life. And all the police and Mr. Blonigen are saying is because rape cases are too hard, the pain women who have been assaulted suffer, do not matter, are not important or worthy of fighting for, and they will never get closure. It does not take more than half a brain to know, rapists and other predators do not pick a strong victim, they find someone vulnerable. And every women, probably Even Rene, has been vulnerable or weak at some point in their life. And if they happened to be victimized, let's hope it is not in natrona county or by then we have a DA ready to fight this. But I am guessing if, as victimized angry, hurt women we took the law into our own hands, THEN everyone would show up with handcuffs and ready for trial. And the legal system in this town is okay that Sarah has to leave her home and uproot her child to feel safe????? Come on people. I hope she reads this. You are brave and not alone. I think the newspaper should tell us all how to fight and together we will, it is not okay you were alone in this.

I am very sorry that this happened to you. I know that it is not my fault. You are correct, no means no. Your story, and your willingness to share it, may be useful to another rape victim. You are in my thoughts and prayers Anna28.

Someday, hopefully, we will be willing to treat women as a victim after a rape report, and to be sure that she gets the help that is available for them.

Wow. I just wanted to commend the trib for printing this. As I was raped in college and nothing was done. I wanted to extend my condolences to all rape victims. But now I'm afraid to say what I wanted to say cause I'll get compared to Nancy grace, or accused of being someone else, or told I know nothing. Anyway great article and to any women hurt like this...I am truly sorry, no matter where it is and who did it. And to Sarahand her family and friends i am sorry for you to. Being subject to this kind of comments in 2013 has to be hard. God bless you, and the tribune for sharing it with my family and I

What if this man is arrested , and gets scared during interrogation ? He gives a false confession to get away from his accusers even though his account does not match Sarah's ? The man gets 25 years , and Serves 20 . All those tears later , Sarah tells the truth . She stepped out on her boyfriend for a night of fun and adventure , and later regrets her boyfriend will dump her if he finds out she slept with his best friend . Then she called the cops to look innocent . Lets take this one to court and see just how far Sarah story will fly in front of a jury .

"fun and adventure?" if only you knew...there was no fun. she didnt have to tell her boyfriend anything. except maybe a mugger kicked her butt. she didnt want to be with him anyway. after her rape this man was accused of assaulting another woman. ur worried about him losing more of his freedom when countless women have almost died... i wish his arrest records were on here with the brutal details, then we can see how sorry youd feel for him... the woman who was left bleeding from her neck, or the other beaten boyond recognition were probably looking for fun as well. any other case and i totally agree, this man is dangerous, has hurt many and will again. when its someone you love and you watch cry every night you think differently.

If I was Sarah I think I'd have ALOT more to say. But I'm not going to let you bash women and the subject with your insults and ignorance. A lot of people know more of the facts than the story said. Sarah wanted to talk a long time ago, she no longer does. She's trying to move on from this nightmare. So to answer your question... NO. Thank god iI'm not. I dont think I'm alone that you are a nuisance to any fom of justice and wish if you dont care about this cause or women, go find another one. Try legalized marijuana or prostitution.... your argument here is OLD

Really? You think a man who is obviously criminally educated, and already spent time in prison, is gonna fall prey to the talented Casper cops and make a false confession? That's absurd. Now we are feeling sorry for him For something that didn't happen?

Completely agree Marnie. My male friends have said their response to it is "all guys gotta girl is find a girl drinking and they can get away with rape basically". That's not the message we want to send. I have Two daughters in high school, please dont let them be hurt and told because they live life, without always making perfect decisions, they can be victimized.iI have to confess i know "Sarah" and can't help after reading all this, That I Felt compelled to say something. (sorry sarah) it needs to be said. I won't disclose too much, but I also want to let you know all the facts were not in the article. our kids play together and ive seen what it has done to him as well. I had a long conversation with her about being willing to disclose her name, and for her family and safety and career she chose not to, Not because the paper did not allow it rene. Also, at the time of the attack she had an injury completely rendering her dominant arm useless. Stitches and casting were lost in her fight. When taking her to a couple appointments I remember having to lift her into the car because she could not walk. From the struggle. she had to take pills that made her very ill. She had scratches and bruising. And the response by the lead investigator... "maybe you wanted it rough". she was told her case was a "waste of tax money"...they can waste my taxdollars keeping my daughters and me safe. I saw The police reports on what the man did to the other two women, and almost got sick. that level of evil does not change. i myself wrote a letter to the DA and police, On her behal, as well as other victims. no response. That night has forever changed her, for the worse.il never get my same friend back. And she has told me, she knows she will never receive any validation or justice, but she does not want others to feel like her. I wish the article had suggestions on how to change this, what we can do?I still feel as useless to her as when it occurred.

It isn't just in Natrona County. Wyoming has a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the country regarding the treatment of rape victims. Prosecution itself is a deterrent, but we don't prosecute, we sit back and say "is this a slam dunk? No? Gee, can't waste our time on it.". And it's open season on rape victims...

I am going to try to offer some logic on an obviously emotionally charged topic. Do not complain to know everything but have been told I am a logical and analytic person, lets put it to use.#1 – in countless efforts to do the research - false rape allegations occur in 2 to 8% of all cases. Some of these are “unfounded” which does not mean it is a false allegation, and also in some of these, are cases in which a girlfriend got back together with her boyfriend (so we do not know). So we are probably looking at a very very small percentage. In the cases where a woman recants her story, there is always a motive. Whether she is angry with this person, he hurt her in some other way, need for revenge, etc. In this case I am not seeing motive as to why she would make a false allegation. Angry with her boyfriend and wanting to cheat, yes, that I can not rule out. However if she was dropped off at her car why would she go through the trouble of filing a false report, having to go through what sounds not so fun, when she could have returned to what sounds like a nice home and life and avoided all this? Just something to chew on.

#2. There is never (ok rarely) a smoking gun in a rape case. Only 2 people know what happened. The offender and the victim (if they are proven to be those labels). The DA is never going to have a slam-dunk rape case unless the guy admits it, or lies and later gets proven wrong with DNA. If attorneys are not willing to try these cases it only creates a continuous cycle for men to keep doing this. IF this guy is guilty, what message has the system sent him? Do you not think someone who has, I can not remember what the article said, 11 other crimes/cases against him, one including attempted murder, that he is not smart enough to choose his victims wisely??? What better victim, than someone you know, someone who is hurt over a couples dispute, and someone who may have been drinking. Perfect for a perpetrator.

#3. As a victim, or just simply a women… are they to not go out for drinks? Not go over to male friends/acquaintances house for fear they may get raped? It sounds like this article was not about this one rape but “rape” in general, and how “in general” it is not prosecuted, leaving I can not imagine how many rapists out there to prey on our sisters, my daughters, our friends..women. This case is not the issue. “Sarah” could be one of our dear friends, our child, you. No rape case is ever going to be what a prosecutor wants. But considering the number of women who report sexual assault, if the DA does not at least begin to do his job, and that is to try to get these men off the street, we will not be safe. If he loses, than at least he can say efforts are being made, and hopefully learn from the losses.

#4. There was mention that his history does not matter. When a women, child, etc goes missing.. what is the first thing the FBI or anyone does? They search in that area for felons who have committed violent crimes etc to rule them out. If someone commits that many crimes and has hurt others before, you really think it is a non issue?? Best predictor of future behavior...?

#5. The boyfriend yelling – SO? She already admits they were fighting, and they were spending time apart. That means she wants to go have sex with someone else? No. Is that really where we are with women and how we view them? She could not simply have wanted to go have a few drinks because she was angry or needed time apart?

I feel as though I could go on and on having worked with both sides of this. But again the issue a big one. Whether she drank, or was fighting with her boyfriend, etc.. the issue is rape. For you to assume somebody wants a “Lifetime TV” moment is rather ridiculous and rude. Was she raped? I do not know. Does it make any logical sense for someone woman who has good things going for her to want to ruin her and her sons life and cause all that stress? Maybe to you - but there are many women who are raped, surely that you admit to, why do they not get treated fairly by the system? To be placed on medications for a night of cheating? Stupid to me, but again, you seem to know. She could have found a lifetime moment in a much easier manner, trust me. Small town, it is everywhere. And date rape is similar to acquaintance rape. like mr legaleze - i think this articles facts are correct, maybe he is partial because of his sister, but even the DA admits change is needed, you cant?

Like I said I do not assume to know what happened that night, but rene you seem to think the casper star tribune knows enough facts for you to solve the crime. You do not know the facts, nor do I. And it seems your “truthfulness” is covered in sarcasm and rudeness, and had this been your daughter and if it did really happen, I would think you would be ashamed. But that is on you.

Does it sound like Casper, or our country for that matter is doing their job protecting woman? No. I found it interesting you question one of the biggest acknowledged rape networks numbers but did not comment on the sad statistics of how rape is simply not prosecuted here. The DA himself says “its as if we are going backwards” – well than do something about it, you are the DA.J

Whether you believe I am rude and insensitive is beyond irrelevant. What you and legaleze, whom professes to be a law student, but does not know the criminal history of the alleged attacker is inadmissible in court, proposes is lowering the bar for this and only this crime. To you, better a hundred innocent are imprisoned than one guilty go free.

It is comical the two of you "don't know all the facts" but you are more than willing to take this woman's word simply because you desperately want this man to be guilty.

Legaleze keeps trying to attach scenarios to this case that don't apply then attempts to legitimize the woman's story by noting she is a woman of high standing in the community. Well genius the prisons are full of politicians, doctors lawyer's, actor's and singers, so no the woman's social standing is no indication she is truthful.

The reason the woman's name is not in the story is the paper's policy, not that she wishes for anonymity.

In short the two of you believe this man to be guilty because you both want so bad for him to be guilty.

There are numerous cases that are legitimate for the two of you to fly your flag of outrage on. This is not one of them.

i believe everyone is not talking about "sarah" but rape in general. regardless of who you are you deserve to not be raped. if the stats are this low, obviously people are getting away with it, and why you are so bent on you being so convinced you are right and know this case so well when everyone else is willing to admit they don't is "comical". You do not know the facts, I do not know, 2 people know. this is not about a "case"... it is about rape that I am "flying my flag of outrage". I do not know if he is guilty or not, hence the jury and their ability to hear the facts and decide. why are you so argumentative. you obviously are defensive for a reason and lack the knowledge base and compassion for this topic. I hope this never happens to someone you love

You are lying through your teeth "legaleze". You are the one bent on convicting someone in this particular matter based on the flimsiest on evidence just because the word "rape" is involved. In your delusional eyes all that is needed is the accusation.

It is vomit inducing you attempt to infer I am defensive for "a reason" as if I had done something wrong. However it SOP for someone who does not have an intelligent argument.

What you are truly having trouble with is that I have too much knowledge to fall for your WE tv tactics and manufactured statistics.

criminal history can be used in this case because he referenced it during the attack. noone wants this man to be guilty. we want noone to be hurt, and rape to be less of an issue. and u are dead wrong about her not wanting to be anonymous. she doesnt want the stigma or shame to continue and her decision was out of respect for others. and i dont need to "take her word". i saw the aftermath. no happy lifetime ending either. you have no idea what any woman has gone through. support them, not judge. we have enough of that around here.

No dianey, only his "alleged" statement can be used. A judge would rule his criminal history, which may I add has no sexual offenses according to the paper, would be as equally wrong as attempting to use her sexual history.

Your friend ran to every politician within earshot so don't tell me she wanted to remain anonymous. You lie when you state you don't want this man to be guilty and it is laughable when you admonish me not to judge when you do so yourself.

Let's face the cold hard truth. The only way to raise the prosecution and conviction rate is to lower the bar. Beyond a reasonable doubt is too high a standard because the nature of the crime does not always allow it. The question we must all answer is do we want a thousand innocent to be jailed to prevent one guilty going free?

i just agreed with u. u said she stayed anonymous cause the newspaper wouldnt print her name, and thats not true. she chose to because of others in her life. now ur arguing the opposite. and u are also right it needs to be lowered. and she went to ONE politician, who talked to a couple others. she wanted a dangerous man off the street. what would YOU do if it was someone u loved? tell them to go cry in a corner. and yes in this case, he is guilty. arguing with people like you is a waste of time, as everyone else has seen. get your facts before making judgements. the article didnt print everything, and u dont even know. can u for one sec, think "what if" you are wrong...and show some compassion? that is sad. not for me, or sarah, but the future of women in our country

I am a law student and am quite aware of the legal problems associated with sexual offenses. HOWEVER that does not mean we are not obligated to purse crimes. This is the very reasons I wanted to become a lawyer, to help the people that need help. Rape will never be an "easy" crime to convince. But if we only sign up for "easy" then men will continue to victimize women and children. It is "obvious" not all the facts were probably in this article. If women want to cheat to get back at their boyfriends, and I agree, is certainly plausable, they do not need to call the police and report a rape or go through what happens after a rape. Have you been through a rape kit rene? Have you been through the countless interrogations that the police put you through? Have you heard of date rape? My sister was a victim of that and what she was put through makes me angry to this day. To make that up when the woman in the article obviously has a busy life and a family, what would he point of that be?? There is none.What if a woman was just out looking for sex, found a guy, then changed her mind? STILL RAPE. They are NEVER easy. There were also other options for the DA if they were worried about acquittal, correct? If the man had a record, I am sure a plea (which is what I see often in these crimes anyway) could have been arrranged. This man did not even get arrested. They get their number of unreported rapes by doing research with females in many different ways. Many agaencies who have access to a great deal of women will ask (for example family practioners) have you ever been a victim of sexual assault? was it reported? there is how you get those numbers. Our justice system is based on a jury system. If a jusry of his peers finds him not guilty then, you are right. If, however they do believe the facts (of which we do not know all of), then you are wrong, but that is who should have decided this case. Not you, not blonigan, A JURY OF HIS PEERS. And his history does matter, that many offense, on including attempted murder means he is violent, and if it is used in the crime, it can be used in the court room. And if he continues to be in trouble, then he onviously did not learn. I think a jury needs to decided if his criminal history is imprtant or not. And sex crimes are not about sex, they are violent and about power and control, so obviously that statment is irrelevant as well. His statment to the police was that he stopped when she started to cry, well then he would not have "finished" (sorry to be blunt). So again.... a lie by him. Going through a brutal rape, and a trial which break many, is not close to a lifetime TV moment and completely insensitive to rape victims around the world.

Legaleze it is clear you have learned everything you know from Nancy "Bombshell" Grace

To begin with yes, women HAVE undergone rape kits and examinations to support false claims (Do Tawanda Brawley and Christal Gale Magnum ring a bell?). Yes Virginia, women, like men have lied before and this one clearly has a motive to lie.

Secondly date rape was not alleged in this matter so throw that out the window. If Blonigan tried this case as it is a jury would take less than an hour to aquit. (Remember sunshine- REASONABLE (I know this word throws you) DOUBT is the threshold and this case does not come anywhere toward meeting that (In fact I am not sure probable cause cause exists to bind it over).

Why did you not tell me surveys are how RAINN gets their iron clad numbers. Because everyone tells the TRUTH (Remember Tawanda and Gail?). There are three types of liars. Liars, darn liars, and unverifiable statistics.

k first of all the 2 cases you are referring to are ridiculous in comparison. Teenager, stripper, history of lying, other allegations of false rape. Then you have a professional in the community who had zero to gain by lying. They were also on the news and recieved a lot of "moments" on TV. This women does not even share her own name and wanted nothing more than the man to go to trial. And her "clear" motive to lie is..? If Blonigan tried this case and lost in an hour, all it would show is he is a awful attorney. I could do better, not saying win as I do not have all the facts, but just given what the paper says, I would atleast have a jury mulling it over. And i was using date rape as an example. She knew the man, went to his house - does not matter if she went naked giving lap dances. I was using it as a comparison, if a women goes to dinner with a man she deserves raped? no. She starts making out with him even? Deserve to get raped? no. Thats the law. Thats a womne's right to be defended from these kinds of acts. If this woman got into a fight with her boyfriend, she certainly must have found someone to sleep with, and who better than some guy with like 10 plus crimes so she can brag about him to her boyfriend. Because that is what women these days do when they are cheated on, is go have sex with someone else. ????? People do not typically lie to their providers when matters of health are mentioned - again.. MOTIVE? and those 2 examples are as useless as using mickey and minnie mouse.

i am lying? i did not state any facts. I love a good debate, but wow.. you have fun with all this anger. rape is a worthy story. as is sexual abuse. domestic violence. and many others. I agree noone should go to prison unjustly. i just stated that rape, not the story, is worth looking into. Good luck with your causes

Given the facts as they were presented Bloningan can hardly be blamed for not prosecuting this case.

All crimes in this country require to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and in my opinion that is virtually impossible in this case. Yes it is very plausible the woman could have been duped into going to the man's apartment and threatened into submission. Unfortunately it is also very plausible the woman went to the man's apartment voluntarily and had consensual sex with him in retaliation to her boyfriend's infidelity. That, ladies and gentlemen is reasonable doubt which means acquittal. The bar cannot be lowered because the crime is salacious and titillating to the public.

RAINN's statistics are at the least horribly skewed. How in the world can anyone know much less put a number to unreported assaults? To put it simply, if it is not reported, how can anyone know it happened?

The fact the male has a criminal record does not corroborate the woman's story. If any of you are paying attention, the one offense not mentioned is any of a sexual nature.

It would behoove the politicians of Casper to learn the lessons from the Duke lacrosse team case as well as the George Zimmerman trial. Politicians need to butt out of criminal investigations. Procecutor's need to determine what action needs to be taken based on the facts of the case and not unjustly take someone to trial because someone wants to create their own Lifetime TV moment.

so what i take from this is if you are an intoxicated female, believe people who have ever commited a crime deserve second chances, or get yelled at by your boyfriend...you can get raped and nothing will be done? we are still blaming the victims? its 2013. no women deserves to be raped for any reason, and if they are they deserve to be granted justice. and noone took any accountability for these stats. lets blame jurors. lets blame victims. what about the man who did this and the people who are supposed to stop him and keep us safe. why didnt the police or blonigan talk about how THEY are going to change this problem. no wonder women do not report

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